Mazzoni Shelled As B-Mets Lose In 14-9 Slugfest

The Binghamton Mets and Portland Sea Dogs pounded out a total of thirty one hits and scored twenty three runs between the two teams in game one of their four games series at Hadlock Field on Thursday night. In the end the B-Mets were on the losing end of a fourteen to nine decision.

Binghamton starter Cory Mazzoni lasted all of three innings in the game, making his shortest appearance as a B-Met in 2012. In those three innings, the Sea Dogs scored seven earned runs on seven hits, including a two run homerun by Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the second. Mazzoni struck out two and walked two in the game. The seven earned runs surrendered by Mazzoni was a season high for him, and in taking the loss his record now sits at .500 with five wins and five losses.

Brandon Moore came on in relief of Mazzoni in the bottom of the fourth inning and pitched one third of that frame before being pulled. Moore allowed two runs on two hits, struck out one and walked two and threw three wild pitches in the frame. In four appearances since returning from the DL earlier in August Moore has pitched a total of three and two-thirds innings, allowing seven earned runs on ten hits.

Edgar Ramirez would be the third of five pitchers used by Pedro Lopez in the game, coming on to finish out the fourth inning in relief of Moore. Ramirez, pitching for the second time after missing eighteen games with an ankle contusion, lasted two and two thirds innings. Over that span, he allowed three runs on five hits and didn’t register a strikeout or a walk.

Jeff Kaplan came on in the eighth inning and like his predecessors in the game couldn’t find a way to keep the home team off of the scoreboard. In one inning, Kaplan allowed two earned runs on three hits, one walk and no strikeouts.

Ryan Fraser would prove to be the final pitcher used by the B-Mets in the game and the only one to keep Portland out of the run column. Fraser pitched a clean eighth inning putting up doughnuts across the board.

With the pitching giving up fourteen runs on seventeen hits – ironically neither of which were season highs for the B-Mets – one would think the end result would look like a blowout. However, the Binghamton batters did their best to keep pace with the Sea Dogs plating nine runs on fourteen hits themselves.

Wilmer Flores led the way at the plate for the B-Mets batters, going 3-for-4 on the night with a double and home run to his credit, two runs scored and two RBI’s. Wilfredo Tovar was also 3-for-4 in the game, including his second triple of the season. Tovar had two RBI’s and a run scored in the game as well.

Juan Lagares and Dustin Martin each went 2-for-5 on the night, with Lagares hitting his 27th double of 2012 and Martin credited with an RBI. Lagares also struck out two times in the game.

Jefry Marte, who went 2-for-4 on the night, scored a third of the B-Mets runs in the game crossing the plate three times. One of Marte’s two hits was his twentieth double of the season.

Reese Havens was one of only two B-Mets batters without a hit in the game going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Havens is now 0-for-12 in his last three games. Juan Centeno was the other Binghamton batter that didn’t register a hit in the game, going 0-for-2, however he was credited with two RBI’s on the night with a sacrifice fly in the second and a Wilfredo Tovar run in the fifth on a groundout by the B-Mets catcher.

B-Mets Buzz: Game two of the series will be on Friday night at Hadlock Field, Gonzalez Germen (7-10, 4.65) taking the mound for the B-Mets against the Sea Dogs Brandon Workman (2-0, 1.64). In the race to the playoffs watch the B-Mets fell one game further from second place Reading with the loss and the Phillies win over the Erie SeaWolves. Binghamton is now six games back and their elimination number sits at six as well.